Sugar Hit 2011 - Azuma Kushiyaki Bar & Grill

It was a bit hard finding Azuma on the sugar hit 2011 list as it is listed under Kushiyaki Bar and Grill. Knowing it will be one of the popular ones, we booked in advance and chose a monday night which indeed was quieter.

On the website it merely says:
"East meets West dessert tasting plate: a selection of Eastern and Western-influenced desserts and sweets, created daily"

So we arrived with no expectation until we saw the menu. The whole sugar hit consisted of:

1.Anmitsu - assorted seasonal fruits, tapioka pearls, shiratama rice dumplings covered in kinako powder served with Japanese brown sugar syrup

2.Home made white sesame ice cream

3.Sake sample

4.Japanese green tea tiramisu - shochu soaked sponge fingers layered with mascarpone, fresh cream and matcha powder

5.Handcrafted chocolate - dark & milk chocolate praline with caramel ganache, enrobed in dark chocolate with an explosive finish; and

6.Sake spone bites - bite sized morsels of butter cake soaked in fine Japanese sake



I opted for the brown brothers orange muscat rather than the hot green tea as its been a while since i tasted the orange muscat.



My companion jumped in excitement knowing she will be served her favourite anmitsu. Anmitsu is a traditional jap dessert with fruit, red bean (anko, which is the 'an' of anmitsu) and syrup (mitsu). It is basically a syrupy fruit dessert. Our one was also served with tiny tapioca balls and soft delicate mochi covered in kinako powder (soy bean powder).

The white sesame ice cream had a subtle sesame flavour. I personally would prefer black sesame ice cream but the robust flavours would not compliment the anmitsu.



The sake was one of the sweeter varieties, served in a petit glass. The green tea tiramisu was definitely a winner in my eyes! It was creamy and luscious, perfectly balanced with rich matcha powder. I literally scraped the whole cup clean, getting into every nook and cranny.



The handmade chocolate praline was extremely rich and chocolatey. Amazingly there is no explosion until the end when you are savouring the last bits. The promised explosive finish isn't that explosive, depending on who's chocolate you ate. My companion's didn't explode at all whereas mine exploded like crazy. Guess it comes down to luck with the amount of pop rock you get.



The bite sized sake soaked sponges were skewed with a decorative toothpick. Nothing too exciting but it was nice. After drinking the wine and sake i couldn't really taste the sake in the sponges, but i was sure it wasn't soaked enough or the sake is too weak because the sponge wasn't soft and moist.




Kushiyaki - Bar & Grill
Regent Place,
501 George Street
Sydney
Tel - 02 9267 7775
www.azuma.com.au

Sugar Hit 2011 - Tomislav

Tomislav was no. 1 on my list of go-to sugar hits this year as Tomislav is famed for its molecular gastronomic approach. My guess was that their dessert will most likely be a whimsical deconstruction of some sort.

We booked well in advance in case it will be packed, but unexpectedly we were one of only three tables for sugar hit.

Tomislav's normal menu came out and we realised that the sugar hit choices came straight from the dessert list. From the menu there were:

Apple crumble with caramel ice cream and macadamia sponge
Vanilla cheescake with strawberry jam and lemon ice cream
Milk chocolate cream cake with toasted hazelnuts and smoked banana ice cream
Warm rice pudding with spiced caramel broth and rhubarb sorbet

Served with brown brother muscato



We opted for the chocolate cream cake and apple crumble. The table next to us ordered the vanilla cheescake and although it didn't look as appealing (seems to be a hemisphere of cream with white cubed pieces of cheese or white chocolate stuck into it), they claimed it was amazing.



The ordinary looking apple crumble, as expected was deceiving. Pop rock/ exploding candy was disguised as crumble which crackles and explodes constantly in your mouth like fireworks. The apple was firm and complimented well with the smooth caramel ice cream and crunchy honeycomb pieces scattered on the plate.



The chocolate cream cake was devine! Shaped like an irregular prism, the chocolate cream is coated with a thin layer of salted cocoa powder which has a slight hint of bitter aftertaste. At the base is a layer of light but crunchy hazelnut sponge. Hidden at the centre of the cake is thick glossy meringue. The smoked banana ice cream tastes perfect and sits on a bed of smashed chocolate ice and crumbed honey hazelnuts.





The cream is not too sickening and the sweetness is just right when combined with all the elements. It is the perfect marriage of textures and flavours from the crunchiness of hazelnuts, saltiness from the cocoa powder, creaminess of the chocolate and meringue and smokiness from the ice cream.



After having this sugar hit, I am thoroughly convinced this will be the best of the bunch. So good that I am contemplating on making a reservation for their 'Just Dessert' degustation =)

Tomislav
Level 2
13 Kirketon Road
Darlinghurst
Tel - 02 9356 4535
www.tomislav.com.au

Sugar Hit 2011 - Sydney Harbour Marriott

Sugar Hits is on for 2011! It is the best time of the year as every foodie gets to satisfy their sweet tooth cravings. The list of sugar hit places change every year and as always some places are already fully booked out.

A list of all the sugar hit places for 2011 can be found at http://www.cravesydney.com/events.php?intcategoryid=127&linkid=583 . Dessert and a glass of brown brothers wine will set you back at $20.

On the spur of the moment we randomly chose Sydney Harbour Marriott for sugar hits tonight and surprisingly we were able to make an instant reservation. On the website the Marriott offered:

"milk chocolate and hazelnut tower, white chocolate mousse and rich mud cake"

The dessert doesn't sound overly exciting and somewhat over-the-top chocolatey but nonetheless we gave it a go.



Service was attentive as there were only a few occupied tables at 9pm (we were the only table ordering Sugar Hit). We were offered a choice of the brown brothers moscato or coffee/tea.



When the plate arrived, it looked like a dessert tasting plate with pieces orderly placed - maybe a bit too orderly? A caramel lattice is suspended between the two chocolate 'towers' with rasberry coulis zigzagged between the items.

The milk chocolate and hazelnut tower is not a tower at all, merely dense chocolate mousse on a layer of chocolate cake. I can only describe it as uneventful except for the dollop of chocolate rice puff resting on top which gave it the much needed crunch. The chocolate cake is then replicated as the mud cake which was rich but a bit dry and overly sticky. The white chocolate mousse is piped into a chocolate laced basket topped with a slice of mandarin. The white chocolate could easily have be mistaken as cream - it was light and fluffy but lacked taste.

Overall a disappointing experience and disheartening start to sugar hit 2011.

Sydney Harbour Marriott
30 Pitt Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
tel - 02 9259 7279

Sugar Hits 2010

Sugar Hits 2010

With the end of October marks the end of SIFF2010…. as with every other year, I ventured around Sydney to savour the creations of this year’s sugar hit restaurants and hotels.


Grace Hotel

The rave this year was all around Grace Hotel. Word spread that Grace has triumphed over and hence this was a must try. Even though the staff had no idea what was being served and were unattentive, they were forgiven as soon as the fondant was served.

The self saucing chocolate fandant was perfectly self saucing as you cut it open ~ success!! It was rich and runny on the inside like it should but would have enjoyed it more if it was served warm rather than room temperature.

My macaron was slightly too chewy but the chocolate fairy floss was fun and added an exciting touch. Fairy floss always gets my vote. Kahlua ice cream got me cheering also! Could not get enough of the creaminess and its perfect Kahlua companion.




Chocolate fondant with self-saucing chocolate centre, Kahlua ice cream, chocolate macaroon and chocolate fairy floss. Orange Muscat Brown Brothers


Grace Cafe
Corner King and York Streets
Sydney
NSW 2000
0292726636
http://www.gracehotel.com.au/


Shangri-La

Although the dessert description did not entice me, the appearance made me pay a visit to Shangri-la. It wasn’t as busy as prior years and was promptly seated for our 9.30pm booking. The dessert itself looked amazing! Served in a martini glass, tempered chocolate strips sprung out off the top of a laced tempered chocolate casing.

This dessert had way too much tempered chocolate for my liking as I found most of my time eating only chocolate. The alcohol soaked raspberry snuggled up inside the casing were too overpowering and had to balance it off with copious amounts of chocolate mousse. Although I really enjoyed the panna cotta hidden at the bottom of the glass. It was impossible to have all the flavours in one mouthful as the tempered chocolate was too unforgiving. I have to admit it was quite a disappointment this year compared to prior ones. Hopefully future sugar hits will improve!




Black Forest Cocktail: vanilla panacotta, cherries in kirsch, chocolate bonbon, cocoa sponge, chocolate cream. Cienna Brown Brothers


Shangri-la
Lobby Lounge, Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney
176 Cumberland Street
The Rocks, Sydney
NSW 2000
0292506123
http://www.36levelsabove.com.au/


Monkey Magic

Monkey Magic’s black sesame crème caramel caught my eye in the list of sugar hit offerings…..and it did not disappoint! Situated in surry hills, we walked from Central and did our fare share of exercise before arriving at its doors.

We all chose to have the Umeshu wine, which is a Japanese plum wine. It was wonderfully sweet with accents of plum and highly praised by my companions who are Japanese fanatics. Our desserts took a while to arrive but when it did, it was worth the wait. A crusty flaky puff pastry twist balanced on the black sesame crème caramel served with red wine poached pears and coconut ice cream. What a wonderful combination of flavours.

The crème caramel was rich in black sesame flavour, tasting similar to the chinese black sesame soup dessert…it was extra smooth but became overly sweet as each bite progressed. The puff pastry was light and had toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on them for extra taste. I loved the coconut ice cream as it was creamy and full of flavour.

Black sesame creme caramel with red wine-poached pear : a creamy, nutty, sesame flavour with a sweet toffee syrup and tart fruit. Umeshu wine

Monkey Magic
3&4 - 410 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010
0293584444
http://www.monkeymagic.com.au/


Radisson Hotel

This was my first sugar hit experience at Radisson. It was a quiet night and only one other table was there. The waitstaff were fabulous and served our desserts once everyone arrived.

The chocolate mousse was rich and scrumptious but the toffee must have been made for quite some time as it was super chewy. The white chocolate panna cotta doesnt wobble as it should and once the spoon cuts into it, it was obvious how firm the texture was. It could definitely be smoother and lighter but the white chocolate flavour was a winner.

Chocolate truffle delight accompanied with white chocolate panna cotta, laced with mixed berries.


Radisson Hotel & Suites Sydney
0282688888
72 Liverpool St
Sydney
NSW 2000
www.radisson.com/sydneyau